Coming soon, 3D television without glasses

Fraunhofer research scientists are working on new technologies that will make it possible to watch TV in 3D without technical aids such as 3D glasses. The new four-camera system will even be able to handle live transmissions.

"The breakthrough for 3D television will only come, however, when you don’t need glasses. Wearing them is just too uncomfortable and tiresome,” stated Frederik Zilly from the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI) in Berlin.

"The development is based on our STAN assistance system, which has already proved its value in conventional stereo productions. But with four cameras calibration is much more complicated,” explained Zilly, who is working with 12 partners in the MUSCADE project.

The HHI research scientists are currently working on an efficient video encoding system for compressing the huge volume of data that arises when four cameras are used so that the content can be transmitted on the existing broadcasting infrastructure. A first prototype of the new system was presented on the Fraunhofer booth at the IBC trade show from September 9 to 13 in Amsterdam.